Page 73 of A Sky of Storms
“Why didn’t you tell us you were going?” I said to Noah. “I can’t believe you asked those two to go on an adventure with you and not me. Low blow, dude.”
“Technically I didn’t tell anyone,” he replied. “Ace did what he does best and Kayden followed us. If it were up to me I’d have gone alone.”
“Oh, that’s a relief.” I sighed, putting a hand to my chest. “Wait, no it’s not, because you still left without saying anything. Doesn’t our friendship mean anything to you?”
“Friendship?” Noah asked, quirking a brow.
Fallon made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh as she leaned against a wall, watching us with a small smile quirking her perfect lips. She mimed eating out of a box of popcorn. Everyone was out to get me today. That cut me deep.
I pouted at her, then Noah, until realisation hit and I barked a laugh. “Oh, I see what this is.”
Noah looked between Fallon and me, the former shrugging. “Please, enlighten me.”
I smiled brightly. “You’re just playing it cool in front of Starfish.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “But I know you were trying to protect me. That’s what bros do, right?”
“Uh-huh, sure.”
I launched myself at Noah, wrapping my arms tight around him. “I knew we were still besties.”
Noah patted my back, trying to extricate himself from my love. “So, what happened here?”
“Starfish went into defensive mode after you all left,” I replied, hugging him tighter and patting his back soothingly. “You’ll soon learn all about her quirks.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she said, raising her brow.
“I think that’s smart, considering we’re in a trial,” Noah said, carefully avoiding her question and saving me from trying to explain myself and most likely receiving some slaps. Such a good bestie.
“So why did you leave?” I asked, getting things back on track. “Now that you’re back safe and sound.”
“Not sure if Ace getting shot falls under the category of safe and sound,” he replied.
I felt like an icy wave had crashed over my head. “Ace got shot?!”
Without waiting to hear Noah’s confirmation I bolted inside to find my favourite grizzly bear. He needed me and I wouldn’t let him down. Ace had saved me from that monster, like a knight in shining armour, and now I was going to be his protector. A little late, perhaps, but better late than never was the old saying. I found my little bundle of grumpiness on the second floor, leaning against the stone wall with a small red case in front of him. His brow was scrunched as he shoved around the contents like a racoon in a trash can.
I dropped to a crouch before him and searched his body, my hands grabbing at the fabric of the jumpsuit. “Where did you get shot?”
“Piss off,” he growled, shoving me back and holding a bionic finger up. “Touch me like that again and I’ll give you a demonstration of what I have hidden in this finger.”
“Sounds like an incentive,” I replied with one of my cheekiest grins.
Ace narrowed his eyes, pushing back his hair and revealing the dried blood on the side of his head. “It’s just a graze, now go.”
“Dude, chill,” I said, moving to his side and sliding down beside him, taking the med kit from his lap before he could argue. “Let Zaney look after you.”
“No fucking way,” he grumbled, trying to take the kit back, but I held it out of his reach. “Give it back and find someone else to annoy.”
“Ace,” I said soothingly, smiling. “You’re a crabby dude but how about you mellow for a couple of minutes and let me do my thing?”
“Leave me alone or I’ll punch you in the fucking face.”
“There are no mirrors in here. The quicker you let me do it the quicker you can go back to being the resident storm cloud.”
I shuffled closer, only to dodge out of the way as Ace swung a fist at me. “Mellow,” I said slowly, dragging the word out. “It will only sting for a second.”
Ace muttered under his breath but didn’t outwardly argue again or follow through with the threat of what was hidden in his metallic finger, so I got to work, finding some antiseptic wipes and a sticky bandage. The wound was close to his face and in the shaved part above his ear, but the longer strands from the top of his head were in the way. I gently brushed away his hair, being as careful as I could to not hurt him. It was a sweet moment if I do say so myself.
“Can you not do that?”
